We purchased a house in Carmichael built in 1935.
The first floor in concrete, the first floor walls are concrete block, and the second floor is wooden frame.
The first floor ranges from 82 to 84 and I open the windows and blow cool air in the morning which achieves about 79 usually.?ÿ We normally get a Delta breeze with lows in the low 60s, it hasn't gotten into the 50s in a while.?ÿ The upstairs probably hovers around 90 in the afternoon.
Anyway, I've gotten used to the cage free, free-range warm air.?ÿ Now when I go into a building with A/C it's freezing in there, holy heck, my fingers are turning blue.
Put in an attic fan and leave a couple of windows open downstairs. Suck that cool air all thru the house and turn it off when it starts heating up outside.
James
My folks didn't get any kind of AC until I was just about out of HS.?ÿ It was just a small window unit (that replaced a cherished old swamp cooler) and Pops would only run it in the afternoon and turn it off at night.
I still enjoy open windows and a breeze.?ÿ It drives my wife crazy when it gets above 75 in the house.?ÿ I get so cold at times she finds me "warming up" outside with the dogs.?ÿ I can easily take a nap on the bench in the shade of my big cedar tree..even if it's 95 outside.?ÿ Feels wunnerful.
I've tried to talk her into a whole house fan but she doesn't want one.?ÿ The old house is better designed for ventilation, open the south and north windows, it'll flow through there pretty good.
A friend put a solar attic exhaust fan, she said that really made a big difference, might try it. It comes on at 75 in the attic.
She asked me about a window unit, not without an electrician wiring an outlet for it (won't plug it into the knob&tube).
My parents had central A/C (almost everyone in Bakersfield did) but they turned it off at night and we sweltered.?ÿ The thing about Bakersfield is it only cools into the 70s which is not enough to cool the thermal masses so it can feel like 90 until well after midnight.
Us crackers use 2 or 3 of 'em. You also store a few beers in each one for convenience.?ÿ ?
Desktop computer fans will work too.
Carmichael is a nice area of Sacramento.?ÿ I had an uncle buy a house in a new subdivision there in the early 50's.?ÿ My grand father lived in southern Merced County and it never cooled off at night there.?ÿ He had no AC.?ÿ His son ran his gas station next door, so as a kid I could get candy, ice cream and sodas from the little store.?ÿ ?ÿThat made the heat bearable.
I've worked in 115 actual temp. If I can sleep, it means the mean Temperature is 65F or less.?ÿ 65.1, and I'm like this:
?ÿ
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/434EtM7c6PDCE" width="480" height="261" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/movie-funny-animated-gif-434EtM7c6PDCE">via GIPHY</a></p>
I've worked in 115 actual temp. If I can sleep, it means the mean Temperature is 65F or less.?ÿ 65.1, and I'm like this:
?ÿ
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/434EtM7c6PDCE" width="480" height="261" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/movie-funny-animated-gif-434EtM7c6PDCE">via GIPHY</a></p>
Same goes for me (actually I like 61?ø best). If it ever got to 90?ø in my house I think I would die...
I have gone from central heating and cooling to a 12k to 18k btu ac and small tower ceramic heaters in each room so everyone can choose their own temperature.
Us crackers use 2 or 3 of 'em. You also store a few beers in each one for convenience.?ÿ ?
Desktop computer fans will work too.
Some in the comments argue that making ice for the device runs your freezer more warming your kitchen up so you really aren't gaining anything.?ÿ I can see the benefit of warming the kitchen in favor of a cooler bedroom, though.?ÿ In my house the kitchen seems to be cooler than the other rooms anyway.
I had been living on my own for about four or five years before we decided to buy a small window unit. It's not so bad when you aren't used to an A/C. Dad would never buy a work truck WITH A/C. He said "y'all boys would sit in the truck instead of work in the summer". He was probably right. My wife keeps the house way too cold for me. BTW Wives have "power surges" not "hot flashes". Don't make the same mistake as I did and mix them up.
To be sure, I cheat.?ÿ I don't have AC in the current abode.?ÿ Just 9963 msl and fresh air:
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And I'd love to have the Coastal Or/WA temps and life.?ÿ Just too cold and wet for my Mrs. for all day everyday.?ÿ So it goes....
Top floor, where we sleep, becomes the same as the outside temp by 6 PM.?ÿ Any breeze that might help cool it off dies at sunset.
I'll spend about $800 on electricity this summer, if it goes on like this....Thinking of installing a split system to eliminate 4 of those nasty-ass window units.?ÿ Has anyone ever DIY'd one?
I live in West Tennessee, and you cannot survive here without AC. the combination of the actual temperature and the humidity is suffocating. I do use fans to help circulate air. I bought a 24" drum fan for the garage, and it really helps a lot when I am working in the yard to cool off.
I live in West Tennessee, and you cannot survive here without AC. the combination of the actual temperature and the humidity is suffocating. I do use fans to help circulate air. I bought a 24" drum fan for the garage, and it really helps a lot when I am working in the yard to cool off.
You can survive, but it's tough.
At least we're not in Mississippi.
